The Psychology of Pokémon: The Power to Catch 'Em All

by Anthony Bean

“I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant.  It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” –Mewtwo, The First Movie.

For more than two decades, Ash Ketchum, has been chasing his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. His personal journey spans more than and 1,000 television episodes, 22films, 122 Pokémon games (as of fall of 2021), discovering over 800 different species of Pokémon, numerous card games, and other merchandise children of the 90s still treasure today.  

The Psychology of Pokémon guides gamers on a real-world quest of self-discovery so that they can Catch ‘em All. And, as part of this examination, psychologists, clinicians, video game researchers, professors, and enthusiasts unravel the mysteries of the Pokémon series by

·        Why is the Pokémon series so beloved by everyone even after we have grown up?

·        What is the reason we trust a10-year-old to accomplish the mission to become a Pokémon master and how does this affect our own sense of childhood?

·        What can we take away from our own journey of the Pokémon series and its impact on catching them all?

·        How can Ash Ketchum's perseverance and resilience teach us about Grit in the face of adversity?

·        Why was 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' such an inspiration to us all?

·        Where does the Heroic Journey fall in line with Ash's journey to become a Pokémon master?

·        And much, much, more…

 

Think you know Pokémon? The Psychology of Pokémon explores how the game resonates with a player's psychological drives.

Genres: Video Games, Psychology

240 pages, Paperback

Published July 10, 2022

Reviews

[Kelly Coons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am coming at this book with a stronger background in Pokemon than psychology. I was excited to see these two passions of mine married.

I was disappointed to discover that it was not an equal relationship. Make no mistake: This is a book about psychology before it is a book about Pokemon. The chapters, while rife with cogent explanations of psychological concepts, consistently have errors in regards to Pokemon (i.e: claiming the games came out in 1989, misspelling of character names, etc.), and while I think these errors don't necessarily undercut the arguments being made, they consistently left me feeling like not enough care was being taken to ensure BOTH elements of the title were being honored.

That being said, if you care more about psychology or are unbothered by errors around details, perhaps this will be a 5/5 book for you. I just hope that titles like this usher in more scholarly discussion (and legitimation) of video games as a meaning-making medium.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read if you love Pokémon and Psychology, but wouldn’t recommend unless you’re very interested in both. Collection of short essays by different authors, with varying degrees of quality. I really liked about a third of them, and lots of the others felt kind of repetitive within themselves and each other. Also a lot more typos in the book than I would have expected.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nostalgic book. It certainly appeals to my inner nerd with every pokemon pun and reference analogy. The diverse subjects are a major bonus for the book. Each of the chapters/essays on Pokemon psychology can impact a different group of people, much like the various pokemon and pokemon types. The result is the same: many more people can find enjoyment from the book, and different readers can find completely different experiences in the same book. I found some chapters where I agreed with concepts and ideas I hadn't thought of before, which I believe has positively impacted my own growth as a human.

[James W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A catchy title that observes the games, the anime, and even Pokémon Origins, providing a strange mix of psychological insight as to what we can learn from the protagonists, how Pokémon has impacted a generation to appreciate nature, and the lessons it has taught us over the years.
From topics such as gender non-conformity, self-compassion, cooperation, the importance of community to emotional understanding and building empathy, the many essays throughout the book serve to provide psychological insight.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the chapters. I found them to be such an interesting take on a beloved game I played as a child.

However, the organization in the book needs work. There is a lack of continuity behind the book. Each chapter is its own essay, written by different people. Many ideas and quotes are repeated and sometimes contradicted. I also find it odd that the sections aren’t divided based on media type. Granted, I understand the are a lot of topics to cover, but it would have been helpful to discuss the anime in one section then maybe the games and additionally any spin-off media.

While one of the main goals of the book is to also stress the importance of video games and its benefit, I found that this goal was lost under a lot of more nuanced and specialized terms. I wish there had been more information about this.

Overall, I still really appreciated the easy read and a fun walk through memory lane.

[Matthew Gilman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of articles good and bad. Why did they have to bring in non binary pokemon pronouns I will never understand.